Blog
Atherton A.130 - A trail-bike to fall in love with
23 September 2025
Words: Gill Harris
Last week, MBUK announced that the A.130 was their Bike of the Year - describing it as “boundary-pushing” and “the new benchmark for short-travel trail bikes”!
We’re delighted that this unsung hero of our range is having its turn in the spotlight … but of course, our owners have known all along just how special this bike is. So, to celebrate this landmark win, here’s a round-up of some of the pictures and comments that we’ve received from the UK and around the globe...
"The perfect do it all bike, XC to Bike parks no other bike I've owned has done it all so well." - Rob Jones, UK
"I had been riding mountain bikes for about 35 years now and was always keen to ride Cannondale. But finally it was time to up my game and treat myself to something more unique and custom. After much research I came across Atherton, and was very much intrigued by the bike, the company and their ethos. I was still torn between two brands until I watched the production video on how the bikes are actually made. I was sold instantly! Blown away by how cool the video was and how awesome things were hand built and the time and care put into it. The wait for my build was agonizing! Finally it was time to take it out on my local trails. WOW. This bike is super-fast. I mean really fast. Great handling around the corners. I was so happy for this purchase. It just kept getting better and better with the various trails I bike around my area. This was my first ever custom bike and it was well deserved." David Fedbaum, USA
Even the first time I rode it, it felt like two bikes, one could climb uphill, and one had a hidden talent for going back down! It has a taut, tight, stealthy feel, the strength and agility to be a complete blast on the descents. First ride out at first ride at my local (Swinley Forest) on a 350m run called the ‘Berminator’
- PB 1 minute 4s (and I’ve done it many times)
- Very first run on the A.130 - 57s 1st PB
- Second run and the A.130 - 54s 2nd PB
But it was soon after that at Dyfi Bike Park that I really fell in love… from rocky open hillside, steep berms and fast, deep gullies, slick as buggery… then the eye-wateringly fast “motorway’, on shingle\slate mix…
The A.130.X never missed a beat. I never once felt the bike was out of its depth, though I was at the very limit of my abilities...
The A.130 loves steep rocky descents, it loves speed, it loves corners and kept me on it when both tires were sliding in the grease, oh, and side note, it’s shh super quiet too, no cable rattle, love that!
Andy Prior, UK
After riding a lightweight down-country bike I bought online, I was looking for something with more emotion, and that led me to my A.130 dream build.
I was surprised to find that my uphill times barely changed, yet the confidence it gives me downhill is on another level. With seemingly endless reserves, it has carried me through all-day alpine adventures in Graubünden, Switzerland, St Moritz, Davos and many more … even laps at Dyfi Bike Park. This bike can truly take you anywhere, and that’s why it absolutely deserves to be crowned Bike of the Year. - Rene Mathys, Switzerland
Staff Bike - Ed Meakes
I've owned my A.130 for 3 years. It has always been the bike that keeps on giving. From the Mawwdach trail to laps at Dyfi bike park, the A.130 will happily take it all in its stride.
When it comes to the climbs and saddle-up pedalling, the geometry provides a comfortable position to eat up the miles without any hardship. There’s no need to reach for the lockout; there is next to no pedal bob.
Point the front down a trail and it unleashes its downhill potential, owing to the DW6, it feels like an 'endless' amount of 130mm travel. The ride feel is definitely ahead of the rest in part due to the way that the titanium and carbon work together. So in a nutshell, the A.130 is all in all the perfect trail partner with no compromise up or down. - Ed Meakes, Atherton Bikes Technician, Machynlleth
"The A.130 is one amazing bike. For my home usage, the bike sits at 14.8kg heavier than I’d expected, but it's light enough for me. I could make it lighter but it'd require changing out parts I don't want to change. As for the bike itself, it really does ride amazingly, such a stable bike on technical climbs, and when descending it just eats up everything in its way." Richard Olsson, Sweden
"Because the bike fits so well, straight out of the box it really is an inspiring ride. I have felt quicker and more confident on some of the trickier stuff we do. I’ve been looking for more features to pop off! For me the ability to climb is just as important as the stability and prowess downhill and the Atherton offers me all of that and more. Great bike, great advice and overall experience… the icing on the (50th birthday) cake was on collection day when Gee wandered over to check out the new build. It seems everyone likes a new bike day!" Martyn Souter, UK
"I am the type of guy that gets a new bike every season. Since 1994 I’ve had at least 20 bikes, all of them the absolute best bikes in the world. Not anymore. Meet #420: The Atherton A.130 is the forever bike. Perfect fit, perfect geo, playful yet stable, most sensitive to small bumps yet never bottoms out, stiff and precise but forgiving at its limits; the front end loves to jump and lift up yet the bike carves a flat turn with glee and confidence. There is nothing out there in production like an Atherton and I have ridden them all… This thing shreds EVERYTHING!" Gabriel Rhoads, USA
